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Sentencing is set Wednesday for an American-born Muslim convert convicted of supporting the Islamic State group and helping to plot a 2015 attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas.

Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, while his defense attorney has asked for less than six years of prison time.

Authorities say Kareem, the owner of a moving company in Phoenix, provided the guns that two friends used to open fire outside the anti-Islam event in suburban Dallas and hosted the two Islamic State followers at his home to discuss the upcoming attack.

His friends, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, were killed in a police shootout outside the contest in Garland. A security guard was wounded, but no one else was injured. The contest featured cartoons that are offensive to Muslims.

Garland Had No Warning of Shooting

Garland Police Chief Mitch Bates said Monday, his department had no advance warning before the attack outside the controversial "Draw the Prophet Muhammad" cartoon contest May 3.

(Published Monday, May 11, 2015)

It's unknown whether the attack was inspired by the Islamic State or carried out in response to an order from the group.

Prosecutors have said Kareem watched videos depicting violence by jihadists with the two friends, encouraged them to launch violent attack to support the terrorist group and researched travel to the Middle East to join Islamic State fighters.

Authorities also said Kareem inquired about explosives to blow up the Arizona stadium where the 2015 Super Bowl was held, but later set his sights on the cartoon contest after the stadium plan fell through.

The verdicts against Kareem nearly a year ago marked the second conviction of someone within the United States on charges of supporting the Islamic State. He was convicted of conspiring to support a foreign terrorist organization, interstate transportation of firearms and other charges.

Kareem denies involvement in the plan to attack the contest, testifying that he didn't know his friends were going to attack the contest and didn't find out about the shooting until after Simpson and Soofi were killed.